Communication Device, Processing Method, and Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Storage Medium Storing Program

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2025-008293, filed January 21, 2025, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program.

Various wireless setting methods for establishing a wireless communication connection between a communication device and an access point have been proposed. For example, JP-A-2011-193225 discloses AirStation One-Touch Secure System (AOSS) (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi Protected Setup-Push Button Configuration (WPS-PBC) as such wireless setting methods.

Incidentally, in recent years, Wi-Fi Alliance has developed a function called Wi-Fi Easy Connect (registered trademark) as a wireless setting method for establishing a wireless communication connection between a communication device and an access point. The function is a technology in which a device called a configurator provides access point information to a device called an enrollee in accordance with a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP). Accordingly, the enrollee that has acquired the access point information can wirelessly connect to the access point.

In this way, there are various wireless setting methods that a user can select. Therefore, communication devices are required to support a plurality of types of wireless setting methods. Particularly, there is a demand for a communication device that can support a plurality of wireless setting methods, including the wireless setting method defined in DPP.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication device including: an instruction receiving section that receives an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and a wireless setting section that starts a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP), the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP, when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the wireless setting section stops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process, and executes a DPP setting process, and the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a processing method including: receiving, by a communication device, an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and starting, by the communication device, a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP), the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP, when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process are stopped, and a DPP setting process is executed, and the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer of a communication device to execute: an instruction receiving step of receiving an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and a wireless setting step of starting a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP), the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP, in the wireless setting step, when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process are stopped, and a DPP setting process is executed, and the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.

Embodiments and the like will be described below with reference to the drawings. For clarification of the description, the following description and drawings are appropriately omitted and simplified. In addition, in each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and the redundant description thereof will be omitted as necessary. Furthermore, not all of the features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessarily required to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. Additionally, the order of steps depicted in any of the drawings may be changed as appropriate.

1 FIG. 1 FIG. 1 100 1 200 100 100 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing systemincluding a communication deviceaccording to an embodiment. As shown in, the information processing systemmay further include a terminal deviceand an access point AP. As will be described later, the communication deviceis a device that supports a plurality of different wireless setting methods for establishing a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. The communication deviceis a device that has not yet established a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, and establishes a wireless communication connection with the access point AP using any of the wireless setting methods selected by a user U. Specifically, the access point AP is, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN) router.

100 100 In the present embodiment, the communication deviceis a printer that prints information on a medium such as paper, but the communication deviceneed not necessarily be a printer as long as it is a device that has a communication function.

2 FIG. 2 FIG. 100 100 110 120 130 150 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of the communication device. As shown in, the communication deviceincludes a communication section, a printing section, a user interface (UI) section, and a control section.

110 110 111 112 The communication sectionis a hardware circuit that performs wireless communication with other devices according to a predetermined communication standard, and may include software such as firmware. The communication sectionincludes a WF wireless communication sectionand a BT wireless communication section.

111 111 111 The WF wireless communication sectionis a circuit that performs communication in accordance with a first wireless communication standard. That is, the WF wireless communication sectiontransmits information in accordance with the first wireless communication standard, or receives information in accordance with the first wireless communication standard. In the present embodiment, specifically, the WF wireless communication sectionperforms wireless communication in accordance with the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard.

112 112 112 112 The BT wireless communication sectionis a circuit that performs communication in accordance with a second wireless communication standard. That is, the BT wireless communication sectiontransmits information in accordance with the second wireless communication standard, or receives information in accordance with the second wireless communication standard. In the present embodiment, the BT wireless communication sectionperforms Bluetooth communication, which is communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the BT wireless communication sectionperforms wireless communication in accordance with the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, which is a power-saving standard for Bluetooth.

120 120 120 The printing sectionincludes a print engine, which is a mechanical configuration that prints on a medium. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the printing sectionwill be described as being an ink jet printing configuration, but the printing sectionmay also include a print engine configured to print using coloring materials (toner) through an electrophotographic method. In addition, the medium is, for example, paper, but may also be cloth or the like.

120 120 In the present embodiment, the printing sectionincludes, as a print engine, for example, a print head that ejects coloring materials onto a medium. The print head uses a supplied coloring material (specifically, ink) to perform ink jet printing. In addition to the print head, the print engine may include a medium container for accommodating a medium, a transport mechanism for transporting the medium from the medium container to a position opposite the print head, a drive mechanism for driving a carriage including the print head, and the like. In this case, the printing sectionprints information such as an image on a medium by ejecting coloring materials from a print head onto the medium transported by a transport mechanism.

130 130 130 130 130 131 100 131 The UI sectionis a component that functions as a user interface. In the present embodiment, the UI sectionincludes a display. The UI sectionmay include an input device such as a button or a pointing device that receives input operations from the user U. The UI sectionmay be a touch panel in which an input device and a display are integrated. In the present embodiment, the UI sectionas an input device has a buttonfor the user U to input a setting start instruction, which will be described later, into the communication device. The buttonmay be a physical button or a virtual button displayed on a touch panel.

150 100 100 111 150 151 152 2 FIG. The control sectioncontrols the operation of the communication device. Particularly as functions for establishing a wireless communication connection between the access point AP external to the communication deviceand the WF wireless communication section, the control sectionincludes an instruction receiving sectionand a wireless setting section, as shown in.

151 100 131 100 131 131 131 131 151 The instruction receiving sectionreceives an input that instructs the communication deviceto establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. Hereinafter, the instruction will also be referred to as a setting start instruction. The user U operates the above-described buttonto input a setting start instruction to the communication device. Here, “operating the button” includes the operation of pressing the buttonwhen the buttonis a physical button. When the buttonis operated, the instruction receiving sectionreceives an input of a setting start instruction.

152 100 152 111 152 151 100 100 100 100 100 The wireless setting sectionexecutes a process of performing wireless settings in the communication device. That is, the wireless setting sectionexecutes a process for establishing a wireless communication connection between the access point AP and the WF wireless communication section. Particularly, in the present embodiment, the wireless setting sectionstarts a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the instruction receiving sectionreceiving an input of a setting start instruction. Here, the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish a wireless communication connection between the communication deviceand the access point AP, the signal being a signal according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP. Note that the DPP waiting process will be described in detail later. In this way, the communication devicesupports the wireless setting method defined in the DPP. In addition, the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish a wireless communication connection between the communication deviceand the access point AP, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP. Note that the non-DPP waiting process will be described in detail later. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the communication devicesupports four types of wireless setting methods, as wireless setting methods other than DPP, but it is sufficient that the communication devicesupports at least one wireless setting method.

100 152 152 100 100 152 100 152 In addition, when the communication devicereceives a signal according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP from another device, the wireless setting sectionstops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process, and executes the DPP setting process. That is, in this case, the wireless setting sectionstarts communication according to the DPP with the device that is the transmission source of the signal in order to perform wireless setting of the communication device. Here, the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, and particularly, is a setting process according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP. In contrast, when the communication devicereceives a signal that is to be waited for in the non-DPP waiting process from another device, the wireless setting sectionstops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process, and executes a non-DPP setting process. That is, in this case, in order to perform wireless settings for the communication device, the wireless setting sectionstarts communication with the device that is the transmission source of the signal according to the wireless setting method corresponding to the signal. Here, the non-DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, and particularly, is a setting process according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than DPP. Furthermore, the signals that are to be waited for in the non-DPP waiting process described above are signals according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than DPP, and in the present embodiment, the signals are signals according to any one of four types of wireless setting methods to be described below.

152 130 152 130 100 100 When the setting start instruction is received, the wireless setting sectionmay switch the screen of the UI section(display) to a user interface screen for wireless setting (hereinafter referred to as a wireless setting screen). While the DPP waiting process, which will be described later, is being executed, an image of a two-dimensional code, which will be described later, is displayed on the wireless setting screen. Further, while the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process is being executed, an image for notifying the user U that the setting is in progress is displayed on the wireless setting screen. In this way, when an input of an setting start instruction is received, the wireless setting sectiondisplays, on the UI section(display) of the communication device, a screen that corresponds to the progress of establishing a wireless communication connection between the communication deviceand the access point AP.

100 100 Next, the wireless setting methods that the communication devicecan support in the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the communication devicesupports five wireless setting methods (the wireless setting method defined in DPP and four other types of wireless setting methods). First, four types of wireless setting methods other than DPP (a first non-DPP method, a second non-DPP method, a third non-DPP method, and a fourth non-DPP method) will be described.

In the present embodiment, the first non-DPP method is specifically a wireless setting method defined in WPS-PBC. WPS-PBC is a wireless setting method that employs a push-button system and was defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance. In addition, in the present embodiment, the second non-DPP method is specifically a wireless setting method defined in AOSS. AOSS is a wireless setting method that employs a push-button system and was defined in Buffalo.

3 FIG. 3 FIG. is a sequence chart showing an example of a flow of wireless setting according to the first non-DPP method (WPS-PBC) or the second non-DPP method (AOSS). Hereinafter, the flow of wireless setting according to the first non-DPP method (WPS-PBC) or the second non-DPP method (AOSS) will be described with reference to.

10 320 320 8 FIG. In step S, the user U operates a button(see) provided on the access point AP. This buttonis a button for inputting an instruction to implement wireless settings according to WPS-PBC to the access point AP (hereinafter also referred to as a WPS button), or a button for inputting an instruction to implement wireless settings according to AOSS to the access point AP (hereinafter also referred to as an AOSS button). The button 320 may be a physical button or a virtual button displayed on a touch panel.

320 11 100 320 When the user U operates the button, in step S, the access point AP starts transmitting a predetermined service set identifier (SSID) to establish a temporary connection with the communication device. Note that in the present disclosure, a temporary connection refers to a temporary wireless communication connection for wireless settings. When the button 320 is a WPS button, the access point AP transmits a predetermined SSID for WPS-PBC (hereinafter referred to as a WPS-dedicated SSID). In contrast, when the buttonis an AOSS button, the access point AP transmits a predetermined SSID for AOSS (hereinafter referred to as an AOSS-dedicated SSID).

12 131 100 151 100 152 13 152 100 111 152 111 100 902 100 152 152 11 FIG. 3 FIG. Next, in step S, the user U operates the above-described buttonof the communication device. Accordingly, the instruction receiving sectionof the communication devicereceives the setting start instruction, and the wireless setting sectionstarts the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process. In the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a waiting process for WPS-PBC and a waiting process for AOSS. Therefore, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicesearches for (scans) a WPS-dedicated SSID using the WF wireless communication sectionas a waiting process for WPS-PBC. Similarly, the wireless setting sectionsearches for (scans) an AOSS-dedicated SSID using the WF wireless communication sectionas a waiting process for AOSS. The communication devicehas previously specified the WPS-dedicated SSID and the AOSS-dedicated SSID. For example, a WPS-dedicated SSID and an AOSS-dedicated SSID are stored in advance in a storage device such as a memory(see) of the communication device, and the wireless setting sectionchecks whether these SSIDs are being transmitted. In the sequence chart shown in, the wireless setting sectiondiscovers (receives) the WPS-dedicated SSID or AOSS-dedicated SSID transmitted from the access point AP. Thus, in the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a process of waiting for a signal (a Wi-Fi signal including a WPS-dedicated SSID) according to WPS-PBC from the access point AP. The non-DPP waiting process also includes a process of waiting for a signal according to AOSS from the access point AP (a Wi-Fi signal including an AOSS-dedicated SSID).

14 152 100 111 100 152 152 902 100 152 11 FIG. Thereafter, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceuses the WF wireless communication sectionto establish a temporary connection with the access point AP. That is, the communication deviceand the access point AP start a temporary wireless communication connection in accordance with a Wi-Fi standard. Specifically, when the WPS-dedicated SSID is received, the wireless setting sectionrequests a temporary connection to the access point AP using the SSID and a password specified in advance for WPS. Similarly, when the AOSS-dedicated SSID is received, the wireless setting sectionrequests a temporary connection to the access point AP using the SSID and a password specified in advance for AOSS. For example, a password for WPS and a password for AOSS are stored in advance in a storage device such as the memory(see) of the communication device, and the wireless setting sectionuses either of these together with the SSID to request a temporary connection to the access point AP.

15 100 152 100 16 152 17 152 100 100 111 17 100 14 17 Next, in step S, the access point AP transmits access point information about the network provided by the access point AP to the communication devicevia a communication path of the temporary connection. In the present disclosure, the access point information is any information required to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point AP. When the access point AP transmits the access point information, the wireless setting sectionacquires the access point information. Here, the provided access point information includes an SSID and a password, for example. Note that this SSID and password are different from the SSID and the password used for the temporary connection. When the access point information is provided to the communication device, in step S, the wireless setting sectiondisconnects the temporary connection with the access point AP. Then, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceuses the access point information acquired from the access point AP to establish a wireless connection (a wireless communication connection in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard) between the access point AP and the communication device(the WF wireless communication section). In other words, in step S, the communication deviceuses the access point information to join a wireless LAN provided by the access point AP. Note that the series of processes from step Sto step Sis an example of a non-DPP setting process according to WPS-PBC or an example of a non-DPP setting process according to AOSS.

100 200 100 251 200 200 200 100 100 Next, the third non-DPP method and the fourth non-DPP method will be described. These wireless setting methods are methods for performing wireless settings of the communication deviceusing the terminal deviceon which a setting application (application software) provided by the vendor of the communication deviceis installed, for example. This setting application corresponds to a setting assistance section, which will be described later. The terminal deviceis a device that has the access point information. The terminal devicemay be a terminal that has already established a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, that is, a terminal that has already joined a wireless LAN provided by the access point AP. In the third non-DPP method and the fourth non-DPP method, access point information included in the terminal deviceis transmitted to the communication device, and the communication deviceestablishes a wireless communication connection with the access point AP using the received access point information. Hereinafter, the third non-DPP method will also be referred to as Wi-Fi Auto Connect (WAC). Also, the fourth non-DPP method will be referred to as BLE-WAC.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. 4 FIG. 200 is a sequence chart showing an example of a flow of wireless setting according to the third non-DPP method (WAC). Hereinafter, the flow of wireless setting according to the third non-DPP method (WAC) will be described with reference to. In, the terminal deviceis, for example, a personal computer, but is not limited thereto.

20 200 200 In step S, the user U inputs an instruction to the terminal device(more specifically, the setting application of the terminal device) to start setup according to WAC. That is, the user U inputs an instruction to implement wireless setting according to the WAC. Accordingly, the setting application receives an instruction to start setup.

21 211 100 200 100 When an instruction to start setup according to the WAC is received, in step S, the setting application starts searching for (scanning) an SSID for the WAC (hereinafter referred to as a WAC-dedicated SSID) using a WF wireless communication section, which will be described later. The WAC-dedicated SSID is an SSID transmitted from the communication devicein order to establish a temporary connection between the terminal deviceand the communication device.

22 131 100 151 100 152 23 152 100 111 152 152 200 100 200 200 100 100 200 902 200 4 FIG. 11 FIG. Next, in step S, the user U operates the above-described buttonof the communication device. Accordingly, the instruction receiving sectionof the communication devicereceives the setting start instruction, and the wireless setting sectionstarts the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process. In the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a waiting process for the WAC. Therefore, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicetransmits a WAC-dedicated SSID for a temporary connection using the WF wireless communication sectionas a waiting process for the WAC. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the wireless setting sectiongenerates a WAC-dedicated SSID and a password according to predetermined rules, and activates Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark) associated with the SSID and the password. That is, the wireless setting sectionactivates the software access point and transmits the WAC-dedicated SSID, which is the SSID of the software access point. The setting application of the terminal devicecan generate the WAC-dedicated SSID and the password generated by the communication deviceby using the predetermined rules described above. In this way, the terminal devicespecifies the WAC-dedicated SSID and the password in advance. Therefore, in the sequence chart shown in, a setting application of the terminal devicediscovers (receives) the WPS-dedicated SSID transmitted from the communication device. The communication deviceand the terminal devicemay use a fixed SSID and a fixed password as the WAC-dedicated SSID and the corresponding password, instead of generating the SSID and the password based on a predetermined rule. In this case, for example, a WAC-dedicated SSID is stored in advance in a storage device such as the memory(see) of the terminal device, and the setting application checks whether the SSID is being transmitted.

24 200 211 200 100 200 100 111 100 200 152 100 200 111 100 200 200 25 100 200 100 100 In step S, the setting application of the terminal devicethat has received the WAC-dedicated SSID uses the WF wireless communication section(described later) of the terminal deviceto transmit a signal requesting a temporary connection (hereinafter also referred to as a WAC request signal) to the communication device. That is, when the SSID dedicated to the WAC is received, the setting application of the terminal devicerequests a temporary connection from the communication deviceusing the SSID and a password specified in advance for the WAC. Then, the WF wireless communication sectionof the communication devicereceives a WAC request signal requesting a temporary connection from the terminal device. In response to receiving the WAC request signal, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceestablishes a temporary connection with the terminal deviceusing the WF wireless communication section. That is, the communication deviceand the terminal devicestart a temporary wireless communication connection in accordance with a Wi-Fi standard. Thus, in the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a process of waiting for a WAC request signal from the terminal device. In WAC, in step Sdescribed later, the access point information is transmitted to the communication deviceusing a temporary connection of Wi-Fi communication. Therefore, the WAC request signal can also be described as a signal by which the terminal device(a device other than the access point AP) requests a wireless communication connection from the communication devicein order to transmit access point information to the communication devicevia Wi-Fi communication.

25 200 100 152 100 26 152 200 152 27 152 100 200 100 111 27 100 24 27 Next, in step S, the setting application of the terminal devicetransmits access point information about the network provided by the access point AP to the communication devicevia a communication path of the temporary connection. Accordingly, the wireless setting sectionacquires the access point information. Here, the provided access point information includes an SSID and a password, for example. When the access point information is provided to the communication device, in step S, the wireless setting sectiondisconnects the temporary connection with the terminal device. That is, the wireless setting sectionends the activation of Wi-Fi Direct (software access point). Then, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceuses the access point information acquired from the terminal deviceto establish a wireless connection (a wireless communication connection in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard) between the access point AP and the communication device(the WF wireless communication section). In other words, in step S, the communication deviceuses the access point information to join a wireless LAN provided by the access point AP. The series of processes from step Sto step Sis an example of a non-DPP setting process according to WAC.

5 FIG. 5 FIG. 5 FIG. 200 is a sequence chart showing an example of a flow of wireless setting according to the fourth non-DPP method (BLE-WAC). Hereinafter, the flow of wireless setting according to the fourth non-DPP method (BLE-WAC) will be described with reference to. In, the terminal deviceis, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but is not limited thereto.

30 200 200 In step S, the user U inputs an instruction to the terminal device(more specifically, the setting application of the terminal device) to start setup according to BLE-WAC. That is, the user U inputs an instruction to implement wireless setting according to the BLE-WAC. Accordingly, the setting application receives an instruction to start setup.

31 212 100 200 100 When an instruction to start setup according to BLE-WAC is received, in step S, the setting application starts searching for (scanning) a predetermined BLE beacon for BLE-WAC using a BT wireless communication section, which will be described later. The BLE beacon is a beacon in accordance with the BLE standard that is transmitted from the communication devicein order to establish a temporary connection between the terminal deviceand the communication device.

32 131 100 151 100 152 33 152 100 112 152 200 200 100 5 FIG. Next, in step S, the user U operates the above-described buttonof the communication device. Accordingly, the instruction receiving sectionof the communication devicereceives the setting start instruction, and the wireless setting sectionstarts the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process. In the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a waiting process for the BLE-WAC. Therefore, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicetransmits a BLE beacon for a temporary connection using the BT wireless communication sectionas a waiting process for BLE-WAC. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the wireless setting sectiontransmits a BLE beacon having a predetermined format. In this manner, since the beacon for BLE-WAC has a predetermined format, the terminal devicecan discover the beacon for BLE-WAC. Therefore, in the sequence chart shown in, a setting application of the terminal devicediscovers (receives) the BLE beacon transmitted from the communication device.

34 200 212 200 100 200 100 200 200 112 200 152 100 200 112 100 200 200 35 100 200 100 100 In step S, the setting application of the terminal devicethat has received the BLE beacon uses the BT wireless communication section(described later) of the terminal deviceto transmit a signal requesting a temporary connection (hereinafter also referred to as a BLE-WAC request signal) to the communication device. That is, when the BLE beacon is received, the setting application of the terminal devicerequests a temporary connection via BLE communication from the communication device. The setting application of the terminal devicemay display the search results for the BLE beacon (more specifically, information indicating the transmission source of the beacon specified from the received BLE beacon) on the display of the terminal device. In this case, the setting application may receive an input for selecting a device to be temporarily connected (that is, a device to be set as a wireless setting target), and transmit a BLE-WAC request signal in accordance with the selection. When the terminal device 200 transmits a BLE-WAC request signal requesting a temporary connection, the BT wireless communication sectionof the communication device 100 receives the BLE-WAC request signal from the terminal device. In response to receiving the BLE-WAC request signal, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceestablishes a temporary connection with the terminal deviceusing the BT wireless communication section. That is, the communication deviceand the terminal devicestart a temporary wireless communication connection in accordance with a BLE standard. Thus, in the present embodiment, the non-DPP waiting process includes a process of waiting for a BLE-WAC request signal from the terminal device. In BLE-WAC, in step Sdescribed later, the access point information is transmitted to the communication deviceusing a temporary connection of BLE communication. Therefore, the BLE-WAC request signal can also be described as a signal by which the terminal device(a device other than the access point AP) requests a wireless communication connection from the communication devicein order to transmit access point information to the communication devicevia BLE communication.

35 200 100 152 200 100 36 152 200 152 37 152 100 200 100 111 37 100 34 37 Next, in step S, the setting application of the terminal devicetransmits access point information about the network provided by the access point AP to the communication devicevia a communication path of the temporary connection. Accordingly, the wireless setting sectionacquires the access point information. Here, the provided access point information includes an SSID and a password, for example. When the setting application cannot acquire the password held by the terminal device, the setting application may request the user U to input the password. When the access point information is provided to the communication device, in step S, the wireless setting sectiondisconnects the temporary connection with the terminal device. That is, the wireless setting sectionends the BLE communication. Then, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceuses the access point information acquired from the terminal deviceto establish a wireless connection (a wireless communication connection in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard) between the access point AP and the communication device(the WF wireless communication section). In other words, in step S, the communication deviceuses the access point information to join a wireless LAN provided by the access point AP. The series of processes from step Sto step Sis an example of a non-DPP setting process according to BLE-WAC.

100 100 200 100 200 100 200 200 111 200 100 200 100 200 100 Next, the wireless setting method defined in the DPP will be described. DPP is a wireless setting method standardized by the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the function for performing wireless setting using the wireless setting method is called Wi-Fi Easy Connect. In the present embodiment, at least the communication deviceis a device having Wi-Fi Easy Connect functionality. That is, the communication deviceis a device that can execute processing according to the DPP. Further, the terminal deviceand the access point AP may have Wi-Fi Easy Connect functionality. When not only the communication devicebut also the terminal deviceand the access point AP have Wi-Fi Easy Connect functionality, the communication devicecan acquire access point information from the terminal deviceusing the wireless setting method defined in DPP and establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. Here, the terminal deviceis a device that has access point information used to establish a wireless communication connection between the access point AP and the WF wireless communication section. The terminal devicemay be a terminal that has already established a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. In contrast, the communication deviceis a device that does not yet have access point information. In the wireless setting method defined in DPP, the access point information transmitted from the terminal deviceto the communication deviceis specifically information called a Configuration Object in DPP. The access point information transmitted from the terminal deviceto the communication deviceusing DPP may include, for example, at least one of the SSID and the password of the network provided by the access point AP. However, this access point information may be any information required to establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, and may include other information instead of or in addition to the SSID or the password.

200 100 100 200 100 In the wireless setting method defined in DPP, access point information is transmitted from the terminal deviceto the communication devicein accordance with the procedure defined in the DPP. Accordingly, the communication devicecan establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. In the wireless setting method defined in DPP, the terminal deviceoperates as a configurator defined in the DPP, and the communication deviceoperates as an enrollee defined in the DPP.

152 111 In this way, when wireless setting is performed using the wireless setting method defined in DPP, the wireless setting sectionestablishes a wireless communication connection between the access point AP and the WF wireless communication sectionin accordance with the procedure defined in DPP (Wi-Fi Easy Connect).

In DPP, the process of acquiring access point information includes three phases. Specifically, the process by which a device operating as an enrollee acquires access point information (that is, a Configuration Object) from a device operating as a configurator includes three phases: Bootstrapping, Authentication, and Configuration.

200 200 100 111 100 200 100 200 200 100 Bootstrapping is a process in which the enrollee provides predetermined information to a configurator. This predetermined information is necessary for the configurator to start communication with the enrollee in the subsequent phase, Authentication, and specifically includes the Bootstrapping Key defined in DPP. The Bootstrapping Key is the public key of the enrollee. That is, the predetermined information is information that needs to be provided to the terminal deviceso that the terminal device(configurator) can start communication with the communication deviceaccording to a predetermined communication procedure for the WF wireless communication section(that is, the enrollee, which is the communication device) to receive access point information from the terminal device. In other words, the predetermined information is information that the communication deviceneeds to provide to the terminal devicein order to enable the terminal deviceto execute predetermined communication (communication in an Authentication phase, which will be described later). In addition, the predetermined information may include information such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the communication device. Hereinafter, the above-described predetermined information provided by the enrollee to the configurator in a Bootstrapping phase defined in the DPP will also be referred to as Bootstrapping information.

130 120 200 100 100 200 111 In the present embodiment, as a method of providing the predetermined information in Bootstrapping, there is a provision of a QR code (registered trademark). In the present embodiment, the provision of the QR code is realized by displaying the QR code on the UI section(display), but it may also be realized by printing the QR code by the printing sectioninstead of or in addition to displaying the QR code. In contrast, communication between the terminal deviceand the communication devicein the Authentication phase and a Configuration phase is performed in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard. That is, in the Authentication phase and the Configuration phase, the communication devicecommunicates with the terminal deviceusing the WF wireless communication section.

200 100 200 100 152 200 100 100 200 200 100 The Authentication is a process in which the configurator (terminal device) and the enrollee (communication device) mutually authenticate each other and generate a shared key used to encrypt the transmission of the Configuration Object. That is, in this phase, a key for encrypting access point information is generated. The terminal deviceand the communication device(wireless setting section) each generate a shared key based on, for example, Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange (ECDH). In the Authentication phase, first, the terminal device, which is the configurator, transmits a signal called a DPP Authentication Request to the communication device, which is the enrollee. This signal includes a message generated using predetermined information acquired from the communication devicein the Bootstrapping phase. Therefore, as described above, the predetermined information can be said to be information that needs to be provided to the terminal devicein order for the terminal deviceto start communication (DPP Authentication Request) according to the predetermined communication procedure with the communication device. In the Authentication phase, after transmitting the DPP Authentication Request, a signal called a DPP Authentication Response is transmitted from the enrollee to the configurator. Finally, a signal called DPP Authentication Confirm is transmitted from the configurator to the enrollee.

100 200 Configuration is a process in which access point information (Configuration Object) is transmitted from the configurator to the enrollee via encrypted communication using the shared key generated in the Authentication phase. Specifically, in the Configuration phase, first, the communication device, which is the enrollee, transmits a signal called a DPP Configuration Request to the terminal device, which is the configurator. In response to this, the configurator transmits a signal called a DPP Configuration Response to the enrollee. This DPP Configuration Response includes access point information (Configuration Object).

100 111 200 152 152 200 152 After performing Bootstrapping, when the communication device(WF wireless communication section) receives a signal for the Authentication phase from the terminal device, the wireless setting sectionexecutes processes of the Authentication phase and the Configuration phase in accordance with the procedure defined in the DPP. Accordingly, the wireless setting sectionacquires the access point information from the terminal device. When the access point information is acquired, the wireless setting sectionperforms a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the access point AP using the acquired access point information.

6 FIG. 6 FIG. 6 FIG. 200 is a sequence chart showing an example of a flow of wireless setting according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP. Hereinafter, the flow of wireless setting according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP will be described with reference to. In, the terminal deviceis, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but is not limited thereto.

40 200 200 251 200 In step S, the user U inputs, to the terminal device, an instruction to start setup according to the DPP. That is, the user U inputs an instruction to implement wireless setting according to the DPP. The start instruction from the user U may be input via application software such as the above-described setting application that operates on the terminal device. Accordingly, the setting assistance section(described later) of the terminal devicereceives the setup start instruction.

41 131 100 151 100 152 42 152 100 100 200 152 130 100 152 120 200 100 152 100 200 Next, in step S, the user U operates the above-described buttonof the communication device. Accordingly, the instruction receiving sectionof the communication devicereceives the setting start instruction, and the wireless setting sectionstarts the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process. Therefore, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceperforms a process of the Bootstrapping phase of DPP as the DPP waiting process, and Bootstrapping information is provided from the communication deviceto the terminal device. Specifically, the wireless setting sectiongenerates an image of a two-dimensional code such as a QR code in which the Bootstrapping information is encoded, and displays the image on the UI section(display). Thus, in the present embodiment, the DPP waiting process includes a process of displaying, on the display of the communication device, a code image including information provided by the enrollee to the configurator in the Bootstrapping phase defined in the DPP. The wireless setting sectionmay cause the printing sectionto print an image of the generated two-dimensional code. In response to this, the terminal deviceacquires Bootstrapping information provided by the communication device. In addition, the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicewaits for a DPP Authentication Request signal from the terminal device.

43 200 100 211 111 100 200 200 100 Next, in step S, the terminal devicethat has acquired the Bootstrapping information transmits a DPP Authentication Request to the communication deviceusing the WF wireless communication section, which will be described later. When the WF wireless communication sectionof the communication devicereceives this, the Authentication phase starts. Thus, in the present embodiment, the DPP waiting process includes a process of waiting for a DPP Authentication Request from the terminal device. Thereafter, a process of the DPP Authentication phase is performed between the terminal deviceand the communication device. Accordingly, a key for transmitting access point information by encrypted communication is generated.

44 200 100 200 100 152 100 Next, in step S, a process of the DPP Configuration phase is performed between the terminal deviceand the communication device. Accordingly, the access point information is transmitted from the terminal deviceto the communication device, and the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceacquires the access point information.

45 152 100 200 100 111 45 100 43 45 Thereafter, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceuses the access point information acquired from the terminal deviceto establish a wireless connection (a wireless communication connection in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard) between the access point AP and the communication device(the WF wireless communication section). In other words, in step S, the communication deviceuses the access point information to join a wireless LAN provided by the access point AP. The series of processes from step Sto step Sis an example of a DPP setting process.

200 200 200 200 210 220 230 250 7 FIG. 7 FIG. Next, the terminal devicewill be described. The terminal deviceis a device carried and operated by the user U, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of the terminal device. As shown in, the terminal deviceincludes a communication section, a UI section, a code reading section, and a control section.

210 210 211 212 The communication sectionis a hardware circuit that performs wireless communication with other devices according to a predetermined communication standard, and may include software such as firmware. The communication sectionincludes a WF wireless communication sectionand a BT wireless communication section.

211 211 The WF wireless communication sectionis a circuit that performs communication in accordance with the first wireless communication standard described above. Specifically, the WF wireless communication sectionperforms wireless communication in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard.

212 212 212 The BT wireless communication sectionis a circuit that performs communication in accordance with the second wireless communication standard described above. In the present embodiment, the BT wireless communication sectionperforms Bluetooth communication, which is communication in accordance with the Bluetooth standard. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the BT wireless communication sectionperforms wireless communication in accordance with the BLE standard.

220 220 The UI sectionis a component that functions as a user interface. Specifically, the UI sectionis a user interface device that includes an input device such as a button or a pointing device that receives input operations from the user U, and a display. The UI section 220 may be a touch panel in which an input device and a display are integrated.

230 230 230 230 100 The code reading sectionis a reader that reads a code image such as a QR code. The code reading sectionincludes, for example, a camera as hardware for reading, but may also include a scanner. The code reading sectiondecodes the captured or scanned code image and reads the information represented by the code image. Therefore, the code reading sectioncan read the code image of the Bootstrapping information displayed or printed by the communication device.

250 200 250 251 100 251 200 The control sectioncontrols the operation of the terminal device. Particularly, the control sectionincludes a setting assistance sectionas a component for setting up wireless communication of the communication device. The setting assistance sectionmay be realized by, for example, a setting application installed on the terminal device.

251 100 251 251 251 251 When an input of an instruction to start setup from the user U is received, the setting assistance sectionexecutes a process of assisting with the setting of wireless communication in the communication device. Specifically, the setting assistance sectionexecutes either a process for wireless setting according to the third non-DPP method (WAC), a process for wireless setting according to the fourth non-DPP method (BLE-WAC), or a process for wireless setting according to the wireless setting method defined in DPP. The setting assistance sectionmay support all of these three types of wireless setting methods, or may support only one or two types of wireless setting methods. When the setting assistance sectionsupports a plurality of wireless setting methods, the setting assistance sectionmay use a wireless setting method selected by input from the user U from among the wireless setting methods.

251 251 211 251 211 100 100 251 100 211 As described above, when the setting assistance sectionreceives an input of an instruction to start setup according to the WAC, the setting assistance sectionstarts searching for (scanning) a WAC-dedicated SSID using the WF wireless communication section. Furthermore, when the WF wireless communication section 211 receives the WAC-dedicated SSID, the setting assistance sectioncauses the WF wireless communication sectionto transmit a WAC request signal to the communication device. Then, when a temporary wireless communication connection with the communication devicestarts, the setting assistance sectiontransmits the access point information to the communication deviceusing the WF wireless communication section.

251 251 100 212 212 100 251 212 100 251 100 251 100 212 Furthermore, when the setting assistance sectionreceives an input of an instruction to start setup according to BLE-WAC, the setting assistance sectionstarts searching for (scanning) BLE beacons from the communication deviceusing the BT wireless communication section. Furthermore, when the BT wireless communication sectionreceives a BLE beacon from the communication device, the setting assistance sectioncauses the BT wireless communication sectionto transmit a BLE-WAC request signal to the communication device. Then, when the setting assistance sectionstarts a temporary wireless communication connection with the communication device, the setting assistance sectiontransmits access point information to the communication deviceusing the BT wireless communication section.

251 251 220 100 230 251 100 200 100 251 211 251 211 100 211 Furthermore, when the setting assistance sectionreceives an input of an instruction to start setup according to the DPP, the setting assistance sectioncauses the UI sectionto display a screen requesting the user U to read a code image (Bootstrapping information) provided by the communication device. Then, in response to the code reading sectionreading the code image including the Bootstrapping information, the setting assistance sectionstarts a predetermined process for transmitting access point information to the communication device. That is, when the terminal deviceacquires the Bootstrapping information provided by the communication device, the setting assistance sectioncauses the WF wireless communication sectionto transmit a DPP Authentication Request, and starts processing the DPP Authentication phase. Thereafter, the setting assistance sectionexecutes the process of the DPP Configuration phase. Accordingly, the WF wireless communication sectiontransmits the access point information to the communication deviceusing the WF wireless communication section.

8 FIG. 8 FIG. 310 320 350 Next, the access point AP will be described. In the present embodiment, the access point AP constitutes a wireless LAN in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard.is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of the access point AP. As shown in, the access point AP includes a communication section, a button, and a control section.

320 As described above, the buttonis a button for inputting an instruction to implement wireless settings according to WPS-PBC to the access point AP (WPS button), or a button for inputting an instruction to implement wireless settings according to AOSS to the access point AP (AOSS button). Note that the access point AP may be provided with either a WPS button or an AOSS button, or may be provided with both.

310 310 311 The communication sectionis a hardware circuit that performs wireless communication with other devices according to a predetermined communication standard, and may include software such as firmware. The communication sectionincludes a WF wireless communication section.

311 311 The WF wireless communication sectionis a circuit that performs communication in accordance with the first wireless communication standard described above. Specifically, the WF wireless communication sectionperforms wireless communication in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard.

350 350 351 100 The control sectioncontrols the operation of the access point AP. Particularly, the control sectionincludes a wireless setting sectionas a component for setting up wireless communication between the access point AP and the communication device.

320 351 320 351 320 351 311 100 351 100 351 100 351 100 311 When the user U operates the buttonas a WPS button, the wireless setting sectionexecutes a process for wireless setting according to the first non-DPP method (WPS-PBC). Furthermore, when the user U operates the buttonas an AOSS button, the wireless setting sectionexecutes a process for wireless setting according to the second non-DPP method (AOSS). Specifically, as described above, when the user U operates the button, the wireless setting sectioncauses the WF wireless communication sectionto transmit a WPS-dedicated SSID or an AOSS-dedicated SSID for a temporary connection with the communication device. Furthermore, when the wireless setting sectionreceives a request for a temporary connection from the communication devicethat has received the WPS-dedicated SSID or the AOSS-dedicated SSID, the wireless setting sectionstarts a temporary wireless communication connection with the communication device. Then, the wireless setting sectiontransmits the access point information to the communication deviceusing the WF wireless communication section.

351 100 100 In addition, the wireless setting sectionexecutes a process of establishing a wireless communication connection with the communication devicebased on a request from the communication devicethat has acquired access point information using one of five wireless setting methods (the wireless setting method defined in DPP and four other types of wireless setting methods).

100 100 1 100 9 FIG. 9 FIG. Next, a flow of operations of the communication deviceregarding establishment of a wireless communication connection with the access point AP will be described.is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the communication deviceaccording to Embodiment. The flow of operations of the communication devicewill be described below with reference to.

100 131 151 101 101 101 101 a e a e 9 FIG. In step S, in response to the user U operating the button, the instruction receiving sectionreceives a setting start instruction. When the setting start instruction is received, the waiting process of steps Sto Sis started. In the flowchart shown in, steps Sto Sare described in this order, but these steps may be executed in any order, and are substantially executed at the same time.

101 152 101 152 101 152 101 152 101 152 152 101 101 101 152 a b c d e a d e In step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts the above-described waiting process for WPS-PBC. In step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts the above-described waiting process for AOSS. In step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts the above-described waiting process for WAC. In step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts the above-described waiting process for BLE-WAC. In step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts the above-described waiting process for DPP. Thus, in the present embodiment, in response to receiving an input of a setting start instruction, the wireless setting sectionstarts the non-DPP waiting process (steps Sto S) and the DPP waiting process (step S). That is, a plurality of waiting processes are performed in parallel. Thereafter, the wireless setting sectionwaits for the reception of the signal to be waited.

100 102 152 103 104 a a When the communication devicereceives a WPS-PBC signal (a signal including a WPS-dedicated SSID) (step S), that is, when an access point AP that is executing processing according to WPS-PBC is discovered, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is WPS-PBC (step S). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S.

100 102 152 103 104 b b When the communication devicereceives an AOSS signal (a signal including an AOSS-dedicated SSID) (step S), that is, when an access point AP that is executing processing according to AOSS is discovered, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is AOSS (step S). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S.

100 102 200 152 103 104 c c When the communication devicereceives a WAC signal (a WAC request signal) (step S), that is, when a temporary connection based on WAC is requested from the terminal device, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is WAC (step S). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S.

100 102 200 152 103 104 d d When the communication devicereceives a BLE-WAC signal (a BLE-WAC request signal) (step S), that is, when a temporary connection based on BLE-WAC is requested from the terminal device, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is BLE-WAC (step S). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S.

100 102 200 152 103 104 e e When the communication devicereceives a DPP signal (DPP Authentication Request) (step S), that is, when a temporary connection based on DPP is requested from the terminal device, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is DPP (step S). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S.

152 152 152 130 152 When neither signal can be received even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the DPP waiting process and non-DPP waiting process, the wireless setting sectionmay stop all waiting processes. In other words, the wireless setting sectionmay stop the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process when a predetermined time has elapsed without receiving either a signal to be waited for in the DPP waiting process or a signal to be waited for in the non-DPP waiting process. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing load from continuing. In addition, when neither signal can be received even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the DPP waiting process and non-DPP waiting process, the wireless setting sectionmay switch the wireless setting screen displayed on the UI sectionto a predetermined user interface screen (UI screen) that receives operations from the user U. This predetermined UI screen is a UI screen that can receive instructions other than those for wireless settings, and specifically, for example, is a home screen. The home screen is the basic screen for all operations. Note that the wireless setting sectionmay continue some or all of the waiting processes even when a predetermined time has elapsed without receiving a signal.

100 104 152 103 103 152 105 a e When the communication devicereceives any of the signals that are the target of waiting, in step S, the wireless setting sectionstops the functions of wireless setting methods other than the wireless setting method determined in any of steps Sto S. That is, the wireless setting sectionstops the waiting process for wireless setting methods other than the determined wireless setting method, and does not execute the setting process (that is, the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process) according to the wireless setting method. Then, the process proceeds to step S.

105 152 103 103 106 152 100 152 130 a e In step S, the wireless setting sectionstops the waiting process for the wireless setting method determined in any of steps Sto S, and executes the setting process according to the wireless setting method (that is, the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process). Then, in step S, the wireless setting sectionestablishes a wireless communication connection with the access point AP. Accordingly, the wireless setting in the communication deviceis completed. Upon completion of the wireless setting, the wireless setting sectionmay switch the wireless setting screen displayed on the UI sectionto a predetermined UI screen (home screen).

104 105 152 152 152 152 152 152 130 152 When the waiting process for WPS-PBC is stopped in step Sor step S, specifically, the wireless setting sectionends the process of searching for a WPS-dedicated SSID. Furthermore, when the waiting process for AOSS is stopped, specifically, the wireless setting sectionends the process of searching for an AOSS-dedicated SSID. Furthermore, when the waiting process for WAC is stopped, specifically, the wireless setting sectionends the process of transmitting the WAC-dedicated SSID and does not respond to a WAC request signal even when the signal is received. When the waiting process for the WAC is stopped, the wireless setting sectionends the activation of Wi-Fi Direct (software access point), but may continue the activation. Furthermore, when the waiting process for BLE-WAC is stopped, specifically, the wireless setting sectionends the process of transmitting a BLE beacon and does not respond to a BLE-WAC request signal even when the signal is received. Furthermore, when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the display of the code image including the Bootstrapping information is ended. That is, in this case, the wireless setting sectionends the display of the code image on the UI section. Furthermore, when the DPP waiting process is stopped, even when it receives a DPP Authentication Request from another device, the wireless setting sectiondoes not respond to the received DPP Authentication Request.

100 100 100 The embodiment has been described above. As described above, the communication deviceaccording to the present embodiment can support a plurality of wireless setting methods, including the wireless setting method defined in the DPP. This expands the options available to users and improves usability. In addition, in the present embodiment, although a plurality of waiting processes are executed in response to a setting start instruction, upon receiving a signal, not only the waiting process for the wireless setting method corresponding to the signal but also the waiting process for the wireless setting method that does not correspond to the signal is ended. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the processing load and power consumption of the communication device. Particularly, it is possible to eliminate the communication load caused by the continuation of the waiting/reception process. Therefore, it is possible to suppress deterioration or the like of communication accuracy due to communication load. However, it is not necessary to end all waiting processes in response to reception of a signal, and the communication devicemay continue some or all of the waiting processes even when it receives a signal corresponding to any wireless setting method.

100 In the above-described embodiment, in the DPP waiting process, a process of providing a code image including Bootstrapping information is performed. However, when the communication devicehas a Push Button Onboarding function defined in DPP, as a modification example, the following process may be performed in the DPP waiting process. That is, in this case, in the DPP waiting process, a process of transmitting a Push Button Presence Announcement may be performed instead of or in addition to the process of providing a code image. A Push Button Presence Announcement is a signal defined in DPP, which is used by the enrollee to notify the configurator that Bootstrapping information can be acquired using Push Button Onboarding.

100 152 100 111 200 251 211 200 251 211 111 100 200 100 200 152 In Push Button Onboarding, first, the communication device, which is the enrollee, transmits the above-described signal called Push Button Presence Announcement. That is, the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicecauses the WF wireless communication sectionto transmit the signal. In response to this, the terminal device(setting assistance section) as a configurator that has received an instruction to start setup according to DPP starts searching for a Push Button Presence Announcement signal using the WF wireless communication section. When the signal is discovered, the terminal device(setting assistance section) transmits a signal called a Push Button Presence Announcement Response, as defined in DPP, using the WF wireless communication section. When the signal is received by the WF wireless communication sectionof the communication device, the subsequent process in Push Button Onboarding starts. Thus, in the modification example, the DPP waiting process includes a process of waiting for a Push Button Presence Announcement Response from the terminal device. When the communication devicereceives a DPP signal (Push Button Presence Announcement Response), that is, when a temporary connection based on DPP is requested from the terminal device, the wireless setting sectiondetermines that the wireless setting method to be used for setting is DPP.

152 111 152 In the modification example, when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the transmission of the Push Button Presence Announcement is ended. That is, in this case, the wireless setting sectionends the transmission of the Push Button Presence Announcement using the WF wireless communication section. Furthermore, when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the wireless setting sectiondoes not respond to the received Push Button Presence Announcement Response signal even when the signal is received from another device.

100 200 100 200 100 After the communication device, which is the enrollee, receives the Push Button Presence Announcement Response, the terminal deviceand the communication deviceperform Wi-Fi communication in the subsequent process in Push Button Onboarding. Accordingly, the terminal deviceacquires the Bootstrapping information (public key) of the communication device. This acquisition process uses the Public Key Exchange (PKEX) technology defined in the DPP. After the Push Button Onboarding communication between the enrollee and the configurator is ended, the above-described Authentication phase and Configuration phase are processed.

100 According to the modification example, the communication devicecan also support a wireless setting method using Push Button Onboarding. This makes it possible to improve usability.

2 1 1 Next, Embodimentwill be described. The present embodiment differs from Embodimentdescribed above in that a process is added for when the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process fails. Hereinafter, a process different from that in Embodimentwill be described, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

2 100 2 100 2 10 10 FIGS.A andB 10 10 FIGS.A andB The features of Embodimentwill be described with reference to the drawings.are flowcharts showing a flow of operations of the communication deviceaccording to Embodiment. Hereinafter, the features and the flow of operations of the communication deviceaccording to Embodimentwill be described with reference to.

10 FIG.A 2 100 105 1 As shown in, in Embodiment, the processes from step Sto step Sare the same as those in Embodiment.

105 103 103 100 152 100 152 a e In step S, as described above, the setting process (that is, the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process) is executed according to the wireless setting method determined in any of steps Sto S. However, the setting process according to the determined wireless setting method may fail due to some reason such as a radio wave condition. That is, the communication devicemay fail to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point AP. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in the steps described below, when the wireless setting sectionof the communication devicefails to establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP during the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process, the wireless setting sectionrestarts at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process.

100 200 100 106 1 In the present embodiment, when the setting process according to the determined wireless setting method fails, that is, when the communication devicefails to establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, the process proceeds to step S. Furthermore, when the setting process according to the determined wireless setting method is successful, that is, when the communication devicesucceeds in establishing a wireless communication connection with the access point AP, the process proceeds to step S, as in Embodiment, and the process related to the wireless setting is ended.

200 152 100 130 200 201 202 152 152 130 152 152 130 130 When the establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, in step S, the wireless setting sectionof the communication deviceswitches the wireless setting screen displayed on the UI sectionto a predetermined UI screen (home screen) that can receive operations from the user U. After step S, the process proceeds to step Sor step S, and the wireless setting sectionresumes at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process, as will be described later. In this way, when the establishment of a wireless communication connection with the access point AP fails during the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process, the wireless setting sectionswitches the display of the UI section(display) to a predetermined user interface screen that receives operations from the user U. Then, the wireless setting sectionrestarts at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process. That is, the wireless setting sectionswitches the display of the UI sectionto the home screen, for example, and restarts the waiting process. In this way, when the establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, the display of the wireless setting screen is ended, so that it is possible to receive any operation by the user U while resuming the waiting process. Therefore, by continuing the display of the wireless setting screen, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the user U is continuously hindered from operating. In the present embodiment, when establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, the display on the UI sectionis switched from the wireless setting screen to a predetermined UI screen, but the wireless setting screen may continue to be displayed.

10 10 FIGS.A andB 105 105 201 105 202 In the examples shown in, the process for resuming the waiting process differs depending on whether the setting process that failed in step Swas the DPP setting process or not. When the setting process that failed in step Swas the DPP setting process, the process proceeds to step S. In contrast, when the setting process that failed in step Swas the non-DPP setting process, the process proceeds to step S.

201 152 152 152 201 152 105 200 100 130 130 130 130 10 FIG.B In step S, the wireless setting sectionresumes the DPP waiting process. However, at this time, the wireless setting sectionstarts a waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration. That is, when the wireless setting sectionfails to establish a wireless communication connection with the access point AP in the DPP setting process, in step S, the wireless setting sectionstarts a waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration as the DPP waiting process. DPP Reconfiguration is a function defined in DPP, and is a function of omitting the process of the Bootstrapping phase and resuming the process from the Authentication phase. When the setting process that failed in step Swas a DPP setting process, the terminal deviceoperating as a configurator should have already acquired the Bootstrapping information from the communication device. Therefore, in this case, it is not necessary to perform the process of the Bootstrapping phase again. That is, the DPP waiting process can be resumed without displaying the code image of the Bootstrapping information on the UI section. As described above, when the establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, it is preferable to switch the display of the UI sectionto a predetermined UI screen (specifically, the home screen) so that any operation by the user U can be received. When the display of the UI sectionis set to a predetermined UI screen, the code image of the Bootstrapping information cannot be displayed on the UI section. Therefore, it is difficult to perform the process of the Bootstrapping phase as the DPP waiting process. However, in the example shown in, as the DPP waiting process, the waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration is started. Therefore, the DPP waiting process can be resumed without displaying the code image.

152 111 152 200 200 100 200 200 In the waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration, the wireless setting sectiontransmits a signal called Reconfig Announcement, which is defined in DPP, using the WF wireless communication section. The wireless setting sectionrepeats this signal transmission at a predetermined interval (for example, every two seconds). Upon receiving the Reconfig Announcement, the terminal device(configurator) starts processing the Authentication phase. That is, the terminal devicetransmits a DPP Authentication Request to the communication device. In this way, the DPP waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration includes the process of transmitting a Reconfig Announcement and the process of waiting for a DPP Authentication Request from the terminal device. In addition, the DPP Authentication Request transmitted from the terminal devicethat received the Reconfig Announcement is also referred to as a DPP Reconfig Authentication Request.

201 202 105 201 202 After step S, the process proceeds to step S. Furthermore, as described above, when the setting process that failed in step Swas the non-DPP setting process, the process skips step Sand proceeds to step S.

202 152 203 152 152 100 10 FIG.B In step S, the wireless setting sectionresumes the waiting process for WAC. In addition, in step S, the wireless setting sectionresumes the waiting process for BLE-WAC. In this way, when the establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, the wireless setting sectionresumes the non-DPP waiting process. In addition, since the waiting process for WPS-PBC and AOSS, which searches for signals from the access point AP, places a large processing load on the communication device, in the example shown in, only the waiting process for WAC and BLE-WAC is resumed, but the waiting process for WPS-PBC and AOSS may also be resumed. That is, as the resumption of the non-DPP waiting process, one or more of the above-described four types of waiting processes only need to be resumed.

10 10 FIGS.A andB 105 105 130 130 Also, in the examples shown in, when the setting process that failed in step Swas the non-DPP setting process, the DPP waiting process will not be resumed, but when the setting process that failed in step Swas the non-DPP setting process, the DPP waiting process may be resumed. In this case, in order to display the code image, it is preferable that the UI sectioncontinues to display the wireless setting screen. The above-described modification example can also be applied to the present embodiment. When the modification example is applied to the present embodiment, it is possible to omit displaying the code image in the Bootstrapping phase. Therefore, in this case, even when the failed setting process is the non-DPP setting process, the DPP waiting process can be resumed with the display of the UI sectionswitched to a predetermined UI screen (home screen). Also, only the DPP waiting process may be resumed, or only the non-DPP waiting process may be resumed.

204 204 152 After the waiting process is resumed, the process proceeds to step S. In step S, when a signal to be waited for is received, the wireless setting sectionexecutes a setting process according to the wireless setting method corresponding to the signal.

2 152 Embodimenthas been described above. In the present embodiment, as described above, when the establishment of a wireless communication connection fails, the wireless setting sectionrestarts at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process. Therefore, even when wireless setting is attempted again, the process can be performed appropriately.

100 200 900 100 200 900 902 903 11 FIG. 11 FIG. Although the embodiment and the modification example have been described above, the processes of the communication device, the terminal device, and the access point AP may be executed by a computer included in each device. The computer may be configured as a System on a Chip (SoC).is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computerincluded in the communication device, the terminal device, or the access point AP. As shown in, the computerincludes, for example, an input/output interface 901, a memory, and a processor.

The input/output interface 901 is used to communicate with any circuit or device.

902 902 903 902 The memoryis configured, for example, by a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memoryis used to store programs executed by the processor, data used in various processes, and the like. The processor 903 reads a program from the memoryand executes the program to perform the various processes described in the above-described embodiment or modification example.

903 The processormay be, for example, a microprocessor, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a central processing unit (CPU), or the like. The processor 903 may also include a plurality of processors.

The program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiment. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium includes a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, a CD-ROM, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc or other optical disc storage, a magnetic cassette, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

Some or all of the above-described embodiments may be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited to the following supplementary notes.

A communication device including:

an instruction receiving section that receives an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and

a wireless setting section that starts a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which

the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP),

the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP,

when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the wireless setting section stops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process, and executes a DPP setting process, and

the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.

1 The communication device according to Supplementary Note, in which

when the communication device receives the signal to be waited for in the non-DPP waiting process from the other device, the wireless setting section stops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process, and executes a non-DPP setting process, and

the non-DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the predetermined wireless setting method.

3 Supplementary Note

1 2 The communication device according to Supplementary Noteor, in which

the DPP waiting process includes a process of displaying, on a display of the communication device, a code image including information provided from an enrollee to a configurator in a Bootstrapping phase defined in the DPP, and

when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the display of the code image is ended.

The communication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, in which

the DPP waiting process includes transmitting a Push Button Presence Announcement, which is a signal defined in the DPP, and

when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the transmission of the Push Button Presence Announcement is ended.

The communication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, in which

when the DPP waiting process is stopped, the wireless setting section does not respond to a DPP Authentication Request received from the other device.

The communication device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, in which

when a predetermined time has elapsed since a start of the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process without receiving either the signal to be waited for in the DPP waiting process or the signal to be waited for in the non-DPP waiting process, the wireless setting section stops the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process.

2 The communication device according to Supplementary Note, in which

when the establishment of the wireless communication connection with the access point fails during the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process, the wireless setting section restarts at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process.

7 The communication device according to Supplementary Note, in which

when the input is received, the wireless setting section displays, on a display of the communication device, a screen according to a progress of establishing the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, and

when the establishment of the wireless communication connection with the access point fails during the DPP setting process or the non-DPP setting process, the wireless setting section switches the display on the display to a predetermined user interface screen that receives an operation from a user and restarts at least one of the DPP waiting process or the non-DPP waiting process.

7 8 The communication device according to Supplementary Noteor, in which

when the establishment of the wireless communication connection with the access point fails during the DPP setting process, the wireless setting section starts a waiting process according to DPP Reconfiguration as the DPP waiting process.

A processing method including:

receiving, by a communication device, an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and

starting, by the communication device, a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which

the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP),

the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP,

when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process are stopped, and a DPP setting process is executed, and

the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer of a communication device to execute:

an instruction receiving step of receiving an input instructing the communication device to establish a wireless communication connection with an access point; and

a wireless setting step of starting a DPP waiting process and a non-DPP waiting process in response to the reception of the input, in which

the DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from another device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a wireless setting method defined in a Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP),

the non-DPP waiting process is a process of waiting for a signal from the other device to establish the wireless communication connection between the communication device and the access point, the signal being a signal according to a predetermined wireless setting method other than the DPP,

in the wireless setting step, when the communication device receives the signal according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP from the other device, the DPP waiting process and the non-DPP waiting process are stopped, and a DPP setting process is executed, and

the DPP setting process is a predetermined setting process for establishing the wireless communication connection with the access point according to the wireless setting method defined in the DPP.